Which NBA Restricted Free Agents Will Be Signed Away from Current Teams?

NBA free agency is a mess, but it can be even more chaotic for teams with surpluses of restricted free agents.

While the team of a restricted free agent has the right to match any offer sheet that player may sign, the open market can ultimately determine how much cash must come out of a franchise's pocket to keep them around.

In certain situations, that's fine. When a team knows it will re-sign a player no matter what, allowing league-wide interest to determine their value actually works.

But it's not always that cut and dry, as sometimes the easiest free agents to retain can become the hardest ones to hold onto.

Jerryd Bayless, PG Toronto Raptors

Jerryd Bayless is a talented floor general, but his tenure in Toronto may be coming to close.

The deft slasher can still be of major value to the Raptors, but he is liable to get lost in the Steve Nash shuffle.

Even if Toronto misses out on Nash, Bayless could be worth more to a lot of teams, especially if the Raptors follow through on their lucrative three-year offer for Landry Fields and continue their back-channel pursuit of Jeremy Lin.

Some see Bayless—a skilled shooter and dribble penetrator—as a starting point guard one day.

D.J. Augustin, PG Charlotte Bobcats

Augustin is a savvy floor general with a nice jump shot and the ability to attack the rim. Once the free-agency dust settles on remaining marquee point guards like Goran Dragic, Jeremy Lin and Steve Nash, though, a fundamentally sound player like Augustin will be in high demand for teams that missed out.

And with the Bobcats sold on the versatile abilities of Kemba Wallker, matching any significant offer makes little sense, even for Michael Jordan.

The window for him to return is still there, but more likely than not, Augustin has played his last game for Charlotte.

Batum is a noticeably athletic wing who can shoot, attack the rim, rebound and provide great perimeter defense. But he's still relatively unproven, and Minnesota has officially set his market value far too high.

That said, this is a truly unique case, as the Hornets are prepared to match such an offer. Ultimately, though, they'll opt to work out a sign-and-trade for a player who clearly wants out, and they'll receive whatever value they can from his departure.